Lavinia Stan on Russia's historical responsibility

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) passed a resolution at the beginning of July whereby the crimes of Stalinism are put on a par with those of the Nazis. The weekly magazine Revista 22 comments on Russian reactions to the resolution: "Stalin continues to be considered a hero [in Russia] because the Russians credit him with the victory over Nazi Germany. Eastern Europeans by contrast consider him guilty of making satellites of their countries and supporting bloody communist regimes that persecuted their own citizens. ... [Russian] books go overboard glorifying the communist regime and its secret service, while the victims and their suffering are wrapped in a cloak of silence. Added to that, Moscow organises huge military parades reminiscent of Soviet times. So it's not surprising that of all the post-communist governments, the Russian one has done nothing to shoulder responsibility for the crimes of communism (including those of Stalinism). It has even strengthened the former KGB structures, and its control over the political process."

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